Pretoria: Capitec Bank and First National Bank (FNB) have entered into a digital partnership with the Department of Home Affairs to enhance accessibility to Smart ID and passport services.
According to South African Government News Agency, the collaboration was announced by the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Leon Schreiber. This partnership aims to significantly increase the availability of Smart ID and passport services, extending the reach from the current 30 to potentially hundreds more bank branches in both urban and rural regions throughout South Africa. Additionally, the services will be integrated into digital banking applications.
The Director-General of the department, Mr. Tommy Makhode, has communicated with the Chief Executive Officers of several major banks, including ABSA, African Bank, TymeBank, Capitec Bank, Discovery Bank, First National Bank, Investec Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank, encouraging them to join this digital-first initiative. This invitation is aligned with a Cabinet target set in the Medium-Term Development Plan, which mandates the expansion of home affairs services to 1,000 bank branches by 2029.
The collaboration with the banking sector has been ongoing for over a decade, originally focusing on providing Smart ID and passport services at 30 branches across five banks. The previous model was limited by the need for additional Home Affairs personnel and infrastructure within bank branches and did not fully leverage technology to expand services into rural and urban areas or onto secure banking apps.
The department emphasized that the new partnerships represent a shift towards reducing the need for long-distance travel to access Home Affairs services, eliminating lengthy queues, and phasing out the Green ID book, which is susceptible to fraud and identity theft. This initiative is part of the broader digital-first approach to public service delivery being pursued by the Government of National Unity.
To further elaborate on the reforms and their benefits, the Minister will visit Capitec and FNB this week. Scheduled visits include Capitec’s Head Office in Stellenbosch on Tuesday and FNB at the Portside Tower in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The department has urged all banks to join this collaborative effort to ensure that Smart ID and passport services are available to all South Africans within their own communities. This reform is seen as a pivotal step in leveraging digital transformation for effective public service delivery.